Fighting for Us - Bella Emy Page 0,34
walk me to my car to make sure I don’t chicken out. I keep telling them they don’t have to, but they insist.
They wait to make sure I pull out of the parking spot, but as I go to start the car, nothing is happening.
“She’s backing out,” I hear Emerson say from right outside my car.
Shannon moves closer to it and places her hands on the ledge of the window. “What’s going on?”
I meet her gaze. “I don’t know. I can’t get it to start.”
“Let me see.”
I hop out and she hops in. She tries to bring the engine to life, but nothing is happening.
“Of course this shit happens to me. Maybe this is a sign from God, low key telling me it’s not meant to be,” I say, pacing back and forth.
Emy leans against the piece of shit that won’t start. “Oh, no. Don’t you do that. Call him and see if he can come pick you up.”
I look at her like she’s got three heads. “Woman, are you crazy?”
“No, Carissa. She’s serious. Now, call or text Lorenzo—I don’t care which—and have him come grab you,” Shannon says.
For a second, I don’t move. The last thing I want to do is call him right now, but they’re not giving me any other option.
“Can’t one of you two just give me a ride? It’s not that—”
“Call him!” the two of them say in unison.
I let out a deep breath and plop my ass against my car. Damn piece of tin that won’t start, I hate you so much right now.
I pull out my cell phone from my purse and call Lorenzo.
“I’m glad you didn’t stand me up. I don’t think my ego could take that,” Lorenzo says with a smile once he pulls into the parking lot.
I chuckle. “I was so close. You have my best friend and sister to thank.”
He looks gorgeous. The fact that he’s smiling right now only makes it better. He’s wearing a gray dress shirt over black pants. I think Emy and Shannon almost passed out when they saw him pull up. When he stepped out of the car… forget it.
“Are you very close to them?” he asks.
“Yes, they’re my ride-or-dies,” I respond, fussing with some strands of hair.
He pulls into a spot and kills the engine. “That’s cool. I have a best friend named Ryker who I’m tight with. You’ll meet him tonight. And then of course, there’s my sister and brother who I’m also very close to.”
I nod. “Is it the same Ryker from the tournament?”
His smile widens. “Yes, that’s the one. I’m surprised you remember him.”
“Emy wouldn’t let me forget if I tried.”
He chuckles. “Okay, we’re here. This is where we hold our practices and some of our smaller tournaments. But don’t worry, it doesn’t smell like sweaty gym socks. We cleaned up and decorated the place for the party.”
I giggle. “I’m not at all worried. Trust me, I don’t work in the most elegant environment all the time either.”
“Oh, yeah? What do you do?”
I shrug. “I work at the hospital. It’s not very pleasant sometimes.”
His smile fades, and I instantly wonder what I said wrong. Of all the things we’ve talked about over the last couple of days through text message, my job never came up. We discussed so much, including our favorite types of food, music, and movies, but what I did for a living happened to slip both of our minds.
“All right, let’s get going. Are you ready?” he asks.
I take a deep breath and respond. “I’m ready.”
We step out of the car and walk up to the main entrance.
“Lorenzo’s Fitness Center… you own this?”
He smiles. “I do.”
Holy shit. I didn’t know he was the owner.
He opens the door for me, and when we step foot inside, I see the whole gym is decorated in red and green embellishments. Colorful lights bounce off the walls, reminding me of school dances I attended as a kid growing up. Glittered snowmen and snowflakes line the wall, music fills the air, and a table full of holiday treats is set up against the wall.
“You guys decorated all of this?” I ask, my eyes in awe of the beauty.
He places a hand on the small of my back, causing that same bolt of electricity I felt the other night come rushing back through me.
“We sure did. I couldn’t have a party here if it looked like crap. Let’s get our coats checked and then head on inside.”
He leads me inside the center area